Ayeline
by Breathing-Lantana
Summary: September Thai has been chosen for the 59th Hunger Games. She is prepared to face the worst, but won't go down without a fight. But this year isn't going to be easy. In fact, it may be one of the hardest Hunger Games known to man. September Thai will win though. Ember will survive.
1. Day One

**Day One**

The Arena is a forest. A forest of scraggly bark claws and ghost gum bodies. Snow covered mountains peak between the horizon.

I breathe, focus my attention on the nearest backpack and prepare my footing. I'm going to have to sprint if I want to grab the pack and escape without injury. _You can do this Ember. _I tell myself. _You can do this!_

The timer counts down and the muffled voice of Claudius Templesmith echoes throughout the Arena. I can taste the sourness in his voice. "Let the 59th Annual Hunger Games Commence!"

My footing is ready. I pounce.

The next few seconds seem disorientated. I blaze onto the backpack and shove it onwards, twisting the straps around my waist. Around me the Tributes are already beginning to fight. Next to me two girls clash with frightening metallic swords. I roll between them, just as the one, a girl with frightening amber eyes, falls dead and dumb to the ground. Ochre red blood pours from her temple.

But wait. The girl is after me. _Shit, it's a Career. _I recognize this girl. Her ruthless expression and shaggy red hair gives it away. It's Avelyn Alke of District One. She grins at me and raises her sword. The metal glints in the sunlight.

I roll again and kick her stomach. She falls backwards and clutches her abdomen.

This is my chance. I get to my feet and spin around. _Run. Run. Run! _I sprint for the thickest of the forest, between hedges of scraggly bark trees. I don't stop. I just keep running. September Thai will live.

I follow the mossy earth for what seems like ages, but I know I have merely been gone for a few minutes. I'm trying to stay as close as I can to the mountains so that if I need to I can escape up there for a while. But I need a water source, so that it my main priority.

I come to a small pond at the base of some Papyrus and crouch down in between them. I remove my pack and empty its contents. Theres a knife, wire, some crackers, dried meet and a water bottle. No purifier. No Iodine.

I search the water for any dead things and collect a small amount where it is running. It looks safe enough so I take a sip. It's clean. _Few._

I get back up again and move silently through the forest. The scraggly barks are starting to become more concentrated with ghost gums. Hopefully these trees are climbable. If not I will have to find somewhere else to camp. I find an enormous tree at the base of a hill and begin climbing. Scraggly barks cover the below so no one will be able to see me. I must be kilometres away from the Cornucopia.

I'm safe. September Thai has survived. For now, at least.

I base myself on a thick branch where a small hollow is carved. I fit perfectly in the hollow, which means I won't fall out during the night. I think climbing this tree was a wise decision. With the time at hand I removed my District token from my pocket. It's a little reflected mirror decorated with sunshine yellow. District 5 specialises in Solar Power and this mirror definitely reflects that.

I wait patiently in the tree and stare below at the ground. A few Tributes do pass but they don't see me. The two from 7, Dryad and Calhoun sprint past but they don't notice me. Avelyn Alke who seems to have an injured arm hobbles along in silence. She isn't hanging out with the other Careers. _Strange. _

From what I can remember the Careers are led by that vicious dog-looking girl, Pangaea, and her District partner Argon. Hopefully I will be able to evade them. Of course. _Ember is not going down without a fight. _

Day begins to turn into night and I wait and watch as the sky begins to alight with the Fallen. Eleven are dead in all. The two from 3, the boy from 4, the two from 6, the two from 8, the boy from 9, the girl from 10 and both from District 12. That means that there are thirteen left. Dryad, Calhoun, Pangaea, Argon, Avelyn and the rest.

Eleven dead. That's not many considering most years lose at least thirteen. This year, it seems, is going to be difficult.

The anthem of the Capitol plays and the night goes black. I lie and contemplate everything. I only take small sips from my bottle and I only eat a few crackers. I want to keep as much food as possible. I don't know what the Capitol will have in store for us. I just want to be ready.

I close my eyes and breathe. A little sleep would be nice. Just a little, maybe a small doze. My chest rises up and down, up and down. _Be careful September. _I fall asleep, holding my knife.


	2. Day Two

**Day Two**

I awake to something grabbing my throat. Its claws are sharp and jagged, and cut my flesh with every movement. I quickly react, shoving the bladed knife into its back. It screeches, a loud high-pitched sound, which tells me it's some sort of Muttation. I stare at its dead boy and shiver. Its looks like a rat, yet it is a bushy grey colour and it has long ebony claws like my fingers. Its eyes are wide and cat-like.

I recognize it as a creature I learnt about at school. It's an Ayeline.

An Ayeline is another genetic mutation which the Capitol created. It is half feline and half a creature called an Aye-Aye. It looks identical to an Aye-Aye yet its eyes are large and delicate likes a cat. It behaves more like a cat too and is completely carnivorous. _Dangerous._

Without thinking I snap the claws off its fingers and place them in my backpack. Blood trickles down its hands. They might come in useful later on. They are sharp and deadly and perfect for finishing someone's death.

I push the creature's body off the edge and it lands on the ground with a thump. I hear its bones splinter and shatter and its body twitch. I then feel the scars it has left on my neck. I smell blood but it is not deep. It should scab over.

I realise that it is early morning and that the sky is beginning to turn from a hollow black to an empty blue. The wind is stronger today and ruffles my dirty blonde hair. Day Two of the 59th Annual Hunger Games has begun.

May the odds be ever in my favour.

I climb down from the ghost gum and farewell the elder tree. It's a good place to camp but it is far too close to the Cornucopia for my liking. And I'm not too keen on sleeping in the trees either; now that I know the Ayeline's claim the trees as their territory. My best bet is to stay close to the mountains, which are further on in the distance.

I prepare my backpack and set off.

With my knife in my hand I creep. I don't want to be found. I know, it is inevitable that someone will find me sooner or later but first I just want to gain some ground.

_Just get to the mountains. You can worry about killing when you get there. _

The mountains it seems are made crumbling slate, which slides down the cliff side and tiles the ground below. But it's too open. I thought the mountains would have at least a dense covering. I guess not. Now it's time for Plan B.

_Where will I go? Where will I camp? _It seems to quiet. I haven't heard a canon in hours. It just seems strange. There is no sign of any other tributes. Maybe I'm alone. But that it isn't likely. I'm probably being followed. Right now. They're probably watching me. Waiting for the right moment to strike.

And arrow flies past my neck, skimming the surface of my skin. I squeal, drop my thoughts and run. _Who is behind me? Who the hell is behind me? _They shoot another arrow, this time just to my right. Wait. I stop. My feet skid to a halt. They're not shooting at me. They're shooting near me? They're trying to signal me.

I turn around and glaze the horizon. All I can see is trees and slate and ghost gums and scraggly bark claws. And then in the distance I see a figure. Small and contained. Shy and secretive.

I pace forward. _This is a trap. _I tell myself. _Ember you're going to kill yourself. _But I keep moving. I watch the girl. Her face is ruthless. It's Avelyn Alke and yes, she's wounded.

I crouch down next to her. "Your arm," I start.

"Yes," she spits.

I look over the wound and see that it is deep. Prone to infection. Gently, I pull my water bottle from my pack and pour a little over the wound. She grimaces and chews on her shirt. Painful.

"Who did this?" I question.

"Pangaea. She tried to join the Careers but she wouldn't let me. She told me to go away. And then with her sword she struck me. I was lucky to escape."

"And you want me to help you?" She nods. "And why should I help you? This is the Hunger Games. Besides you already tried to kill me!"

She chuckles. "Allies?"

I pause. _Is she dead serious? She wants me as an ally? _

"How do I know I can trust you?" She flicks away her fringe which is died green against her normally black hair. Her piercing emerald eyes look into me.

But she laughs. "You can't."

I look inside of her and try to find the truth. It's been a gift of mine, I guess. I can look inside somebody and tell if they are lying. Mother used to have the same ability. It's not a superpower or anything, it's just some kind of intuition that I have. I look inside of her force the honesty. She's telling the truth.

"Okay," I reply.

"Thanks," she replies. She struggles a bit and lifts her arm. "Now what are we going to do about this?"

"You need medicine. And the only way we are going to get such medicine is through a parachute." Lower my gaze. It's only the second day. The Capitol isn't just going to give out parachutes. "I'm sorry Avelyn."

"It's okay," she replies.

And then suddenly I hear a beeping noise. At first it's faint but then it grows louder and suddenly between the sunlight I notice the object. It's a metallic silvery sphere with a canvas contraption at the top.

_You're kidding. _I grumble into my mind.

The parachute lands in my palm and cracks open, revealing a bottle of pinkish cream and a note. Instinctively I pass the cream to Avelyn who applies it generously to arm. In a matter of seconds it scabs over and she sighs in relief. I open the note and read it.

_Really chicken, you're going to waste your parachutes on this girl? – A_

I roll my eyes. Of course the cream is from my Mentor, Ambrosia Swan. Only she refers to anyone as "chicken". Ambrosia, I don't know how, managed to win the 47th Annual Hunger Games. Luck, I suppose. But then again behind that strange shell might be a vicious killer.

"That feels so much better," Avelyn says.

"Good," I reply. "Because we need to keep moving. I was going to head to the mountains but they're too open."

"What about the trees?"

I shake my head. "Mutts."

She pauses. "Oh shit." But then her eyes widen. "What about we just keep going?"

"What?" I ask.

She blinks her eyes. "Why don't we just keep moving until we find a suitable place? We can sleep in the trees, as long as one of us takes watch. We can survive this."

She's right. Avelyn pulls herself from the ground and dusts he soil from her clothing. She ties up her black hair into a pony tail with a bit of wire. Compared to her I feel like a dwarf. She is tall and muscular and well tanned. I am short and skinny and pasty. I'm a typical District 5 girl.

"Let's go," I say. She readies her bow. "You lead the way."

Throughout the day we follow each other through the forest. We are away from the mountains now and even further from the Cornucopia. We are armed though and ready. I have my knife and Avelyn has her bow. We have enough food and water for now.

We finally reach an area of safety. A cave hidden behind a large amount of scraggly barks. A perfect place for camping at. We enter the limestone walls and clear the spiders from the room. It's just big enough for us to lie. We start a small fire in the corner so that the smoke will only rose to the top of the cavern. We cook some of Avelyn's meat.

But I'm worried. There have been no deaths in ages. It doesn't seem right. Just as I'm about to lie down to sleep I hear the cavern. Avelyn and I burst out of the cave and look at the sky. _Who is it? Who is it? Who is it?_

I stare at the sky. My breath escapes me. It's my District partner; Fremantle Jones.


End file.
